The trial against the French actor Gerard Depardieu on charges of sexual assault began in the absence of the famous person. Depardieu announced that he was ill, AFP reported.
The actor's lawyer, Jeremy Asus, said that Depardieu requested a postponement of the case due to his poor health.
"Unfortunately, the doctors have forbidden him to appear here today," the lawyer said upon his arrival for the trial.
He said he would ask the court for a six-month delay in the case, which comes after multiple other appeals and a possible second lawsuit already pending.
The actor is the most high-profile figure to face charges in the French version of the #MeToo movement in French cinema, sparked in 2017 by allegations against American producer Harvey Weinstein.
Depardieu is facing allegations of abuse that allegedly occurred while filming a movie in 2021. The names of the two women who are accusing him have not been made public.
One of the plaintiffs, a set designer now 55, said she was subjected to sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults while filming director Jean Becker's Les Volet Verts in private house in Paris.
"I expect the justice system to be the same for everyone and Monsignor Depardieu not get special treatment just because he's an artist," said the plaintiff's lawyer Karin Durieux-Diebolt.
Asus said Depardieu's defense will offer "witnesses and evidence that will show that he has simply become the target of false accusations."
He accused the plaintiff of trying to "make money" by claiming €30,000 in damages.
The second plaintiff in the case, an assistant director on the same film, also claims she was sexually assaulted. | BGNES
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